Setting up a school using Google Classroom

Backdrop offers the ability for users to setup a sync with Google Classroom. This sync will import the users and groups required for Backdrop to function. This guide covers how to get setup and what options are available.

Google Classroom  integration is powered by the Google admin consent system. Users select the School Setup option under administration in Backdrop.

This action takes users to the Integration select screen where you select either Microsoft or Google setup. Select Google and you are redirected to the account selection screen. Here they can select the user account they wish to give admin consent with. Once given Backdrop will use this account to query Google Admin. The data returned will be based on the permissions of that account returning only what they have access to.

Once an account is selected and access approved, the flow takes the user to the Google integration setup screen in Backdrop. Here a user can select the type of Integration they want.

Import Using Google Classroom

Full imports pull in both users and groups and can be used to do a complete school setup without an MIS/SIS system. Groups only imports require that users have already been added to Backdrop by MIS/SIS or CSV upload. Backdrop checks that the members of the Classroom groups are already present in the solution and if they are, the Google Classroom groups are added as teaching groups for use in Classroom/Wellbeing.

Email Domain

If your Google Admin covers multiple domains you can specify which domain is imported. If this is left blank, all domains will be imported.

Include Automatic Login Credentials 

This will take the email address of the student users and populate the auto login system with this data. This allows the system to automatically identifiy students on devices where the Backdrop device client is installed. The system adds the full email to identify users on ChromeOS or Android devices. For Windows and Mac devices we read everything before the @ symbol as the local user account on the device

Example

a.student@school.com - login for ChromeOS/Android

a.student - login for Windows/Mac

Once you are happy with your selections, click Update Details to start the import. 

This can take several minutes depending on the size of the import.

Owners of Google Classroom groups (Teachers) will be added as Staff users.

Members of Google Classroom groups (Students) will be added as Student users.
Google Classroom groups will be added as Teaching groups.

The sync will run automatically every 12hrs. Mappings can be updated at anytime from the edit microsoft settings under school setup.